James Steele: America’s mystery man in Iraq. A 15-month investigation by the Guardian and BBC Arabic revealed how retired US colonel James Steele, a veteran of American proxy wars in El Salvador and Nicaragua, played a key role in training and overseeing US-funded special police commandos who ran a network of torture centres in Iraq.

Another special forces veteran, Colonel James Coffman, worked with Steele and reported directly to General David Petraeus, who had been sent into Iraq to organise the Iraqi security services.

“They’ve clearly learned absolutely nothing from recent history. The only possible consequence of further intervention would be greater bitterness towards the Western powers and it will no doubt strengthen militant resolve rather than neutralise it.”

He told the Star: “We have been involved in a series of wars since 2001. This has only served to encourage militancy elsewhere and, in the case of the Middle East, the growth of the Isis forces.”

Mr Cameron likened the fight against Islamic extremism to the cold war during PMQs, adding that it was a “struggle” that would last for “decades.”

Communist Party of Britain general secretary Rob Griffiths suggested that all assistance to Iraqi and Kurdish governments should be sanctioned and co-ordinated by the UN, rejecting another Nato “intervention.”